CREATURES OF THE WIND

Creatures of The Wind was founded in 2008, by Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters. Both are graduates of The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Fashion Design. Upon graduation, Gabier moved to Antwerp, Belgium, where he worked first for menswear designer Dirk Schonberger, and later worked for womenswear designer Jurgi Persoons. Peters spent two years doing specialty handwork as a studio assistant to the artist and designer Nick Cave. The collection was born in Chicago. In June 2008, the first collection was featured on the cover of WWD, with a feature in W Magazine following shortly after. Barney’s New York picked up a selection from Fall 2010, which was the first season that the collection was shown in New York City. Spring 2011 marked the first full collection, which was shown in a presentation in September 2010. Creatures of The Wind has received critical acclaim from international press and media; the collection has been featured in Vogue, Vogue UK, Vogue China, Vogue Japan, Vogue Italia, Vogue India, New York Times, New York Times T Magazine, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Wall Street Journal, Paper, W, Lula, Dazed & Confused, WWD Collections, Chicago Tribune, Marie Claire, Travel & Leisure, Vanity Fair Italia, Grazia Italia, Grazia France, Flaunt, Elle China, among others. WWD has given the cover image to Creatures of The Wind during New York Fashion Week for three of the past five seasons. In 2011, Gabier and Peters were named runners-up in the CFDA /Vogue Fashion Fund. They were honored as Fashion Group International’s Rising Stars in 2011. In 2012, and again in 2013, they were nominees for the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear. They were finalists in the International Woolmark Prize for 2013, and have also been selected to participate in an upcoming exhibit at NYC’s American Folk Art Museum. The collection is driven by concept and narrative; inspiration is drawn from subcultures, mythological themes, and youth culture. Artisanal detailing and unconventional pairing of fabrics are significant elements of the collection. Creatures of The Wind regularly collaborate with artists and designers from other disciplines. Past and current collaborators include Tabitha Simmons, Aline Cautis, Pamela Love, Selima Optique, Erickson Beamon, and Matteah Baim. Production and distribution of the collection are primarily in New York City’s Garment District, with the balance of the collection produced by Sanyo Sewing Company in northern Japan. Shoes are designed and produced seasonally with Tabitha Simmons, and are made in Italy. Fabrics are developed with some of Europe’s most prestigious mills. Couture level brocades, jacquards, and handmade laces are often juxtaposed with vintage deadstock fabrics, English woolens, and Japanese cottons. Creatures of The Wind is sold in directional retail outlets worldwide, including Ikram, Dover Street Market, Net-A- Porter, Saks Fifth Avenue, Isetan, D’NA, Neiman Marcus, Beams International Gallery, and Boon.